STEVE Caudwell has launched his manifesto to support his bid to become the Green Party’s next Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority.
In the manifesto, Councillor Caudwell, the leader of the opposition on Solihull Council, sets out his vision for a Combined Authority that renegotiates its devolution settlement and achieves a West Midlands that works for everyone.
He said: “I’m proud to be standing to be the next Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority, and I’m especially proud to be doing so as the Green Party candidate.
“The Green Party is enjoying increasing success nationally, regionally and locally. We now have over 370 councillors, including 86 in the West Midlands alone.
“We now share in the administration of 18 councils in England and Wales while here in the West Midlands, my own Solihull Green Party is on the verge of taking control of our council at this year’s local elections.
“In October 2018 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made it clear that 2030 has to be the target for wide-ranging, systemic reorganisation of how we live, move and work – and this is a reality that only the Green Party acknowledges.
“So the Green Party is an increasingly relevant voice, and our voice is crucial, because the Climate Emergency won’t wait.”
And he slammed the ‘establishment parties’ which he said had failed to improve life chances for the majority of residents.
“The divides between us are bigger than ever, and the looming climate crisis only makes it yet more urgent that we heal them as quickly as possible,” he said.
“On May 6 I ask you to send a clear message to the political establishment that we’re tired of business-as-usual, and that we need a West Midlands that works for everyone.
“Tell them we need an end to the poverty scandal; we need a genuinely Green Industrial Revolution, and we need a transport system we can actually use.
“And I ask you to do that by giving me your first vote to be the next Mayor of the West Midlands.”
Steve has put together a video which is available at https://steve4mayor.green/
Coun Caudwell represents Castle Bromwich on Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.
